Lobo #6 Review

Written by: Cullen Bunn
Art by: Cliff Richards
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: March 9, 2015

(re)Boot Up Your Ass

When talking about this book, I've found myself sounding like some hard boiled detective in an old movie..."Of all the Cullen Bunn books that I could have reviewed, Lobo had to be mine."  Seriously, Sinestro, Magneto, The Sixth Gun and the list goes on and on.  Unfortunately for me, it all leads to Lobo.  People immediately scoffed at the new look Lobo, but the superficial changes didn't bother me at all. However, some other things did.  Pairing him with a generic team that even Lobo didn't  want was big and turning the first arc (which ends this issue) into the assassin of the month club was another.  Add to this an increasingly boring history of Lobo and Czarnia and we have the dud in Cullen Bunn's otherwise impressive stable.  Thankfully, this issue makes strides to rectify all of the book's problems...but is it good?  Let's find out.



Lobo's been hired to save Earth.  He doesn't like the planet one bit, but a Lobo has a code and he always gets his man...or woman.  Last issue's big reveal was that the final assassin on Lobo's list has a history with Lobo and Czarnia that includes the destruction of the Planet.

The issue starts with Lobo, Luna and Rave heading off to track down and eliminate Pariah.  I'll admit that if you asked me the names of Lobo's team before reading this issue, I'd have drawn a blank. While I have tolerated Emily (the tech girl), Luna and Rave must have the super power of always fading into the background of every issue.

I guess Cullen Bunn agrees because before you know it, Rave is dead.  You don't get to see what happened and I really could have cared less.  Without any connection to the character, his death fell flat.  It seemed like Lobo felt the same way.  Next up is Luna who is at the mercy of Pariah as Lobo shows up.  That part doesn't last long as Pariah takes care of her and again, the death had no impact on me whatsoever.  It may sound sick, but I was glad the two were gone.

We then get a last bit of Lobo history and learn how Pariah fits into it all.  She did set up Lobo to destroy Czarnia, but even that felt like a stretch.  The fight between Lobo and Pariah was pretty good with lots of blood and severed limbs and ends with Pariah dead and Lobo vowing to find out who hired her.  The book ends with Lobo biding farewell to Emily and going off on his own...the way he should have been since the start.

This issue ends by making this first arc feel like one big failed experiment.  The new look, team and history mostly fell flat and the ending wipes it clean in time for the book to return in June.  After all the crap this book has dished out, I must admit that I'm excited to see the new direction.

Also involved in this soft reboot will be Cliff Richards on art.  Richard's art in this issue was just okay and doesn't do anything to make the book better or worse.  It just feels like a means to an end. A book has to have pictures, right?  

Bits and Pieces:

This issue is a microcosm of the first arc it ends...disappointing.  This book has a myriad of problems and thankfully, this issue rectifies a bunch of them.  The series is now set to return stronger in June, but I can't recommend this issue by itself.  It's not good and only reminds me that I get stuck reviewing the one book that Cullen Bunn doesn't hit out of the park.  It's my lot in life, I guess.

4.0/10